Archive for June, 2011

Oh boy, I just can’t believe how HOT it was today, 80°F at 10:30 am! People say you’ll get used to the heat after a while, but I’m still waiting for that to happen.

Today we slightly adjusted our usual Lunch Break running route to add a loop around a small nearby lake. Originally I had planned to run a little longer, but after three miles I started to feel dizzy, so I decided to walk the rest.

The Stats:

Distance: 3.1 miles (5 km)

Time: 35:00 minutes

Average pace: 11:17 min/mile

Feeling: Dizzy

Honestly, I’m starting to worry about my upcoming 6 mile race. At the moment I can barely run three miles until I feel like passing out. Plus, the race will start at 11 am, which means that we will run right through the midday heat! Ok, let’s just wait and see. Maybe I will get used to the heat by the end of July.

By the way, my trainer appointment did happen yesterday! In short, it was fabulous! I’m going to write a separate post about my brand new strength training routine.

I can’t deny that I haven‘t run outdoors in over a week. What?! Now I might talk about the lousy weather or the faint discomfort in my knees, but they’re all just excuses. Fact is, I have been lazy.

Now wait a second! I did workout last week, on Tuesday I went to the gym, and on Friday I did a DVD workout. So the situation isn’t all that bad. I just didn’t run. That by itself wouldn’t be a problem, but I have a 6 mile race in less than 5 weeks, so I’d better increase my mileage again!

So today I went on another Lunch Break Run, this time all by myself. It was freaking hot, after two miles I felt like my head was going to explode, but somehow I still enjoyed that run.

The Stats:

Distance: 3.2 miles (5,1 km)

Time: 34:40 minutes

Average pace: 10:50 min/mile

Feeling: Proud

In short, it feels so great to be back!

Oh, and that trainer appointment at my gym was rescheduled, again! Let’s see when/if it will happen.

Guess what, last week I returned to the gym! I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with the gym, with a strong emphasis on the ‘hate’ part. Last December I joined my current gym, a rather cheap one close to my work place. But I only used their treadmills, nothing else. When spring arrived, I completely stopped going, as I prefer outdoor runs.

I’m currently struggling with my motivation to workout, or rather with the lack of motivation. So I’m trying to mix things up, which includes going back to the gym. Last Friday after work I finally went, I rode on one of their stationary bikes for about 20 minutes, and even liked it!

Yesterday I went again, this time I first ran on the treadmill, then I did some abs moves (holy planks!), followed by another bike ride. I was a total sweaty mess, but also happy about getting a great workout.

The Stats:

Distance: 2 miles (3,2 km)

Time: 21:45 minutes

Average pace: 10:56 min/mile

Feeling: Sweaty

This Friday I have a date with one of the gym’s trainers. Let’s see what she has in store for me.

Oh my, it’s been ages since I posted a recipe here! Lately I haven’t been very creative with my meals, instead I’ve kept coming back to my old favorites. These savory pancakes clearly belong to those favorites, especially when I’m invited to potluck parties.

Savory carrot zucchini pancakes

Carrot Zucchini Pancakes

Serves 4

2 medium-sized zucchini

2 medium-sized carrots

2 green onions

1 garlic glove

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup or 100 g all-purpose flour or potato starch

1/2 cup or 100 ml water

1 egg

1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds

salt and pepper

vegetable oil for frying

Wash and coarsely grate zucchini, mix with one teaspoon of salt and set aside. Peel and grate carrots into a separate bowl. Trim and chop green onions, peel and finely mince garlic.

Thoroughly squeeze out excess water from the zucchini, then mix them with carrots, onions and garlic. Add flour, egg, and water and stir to form a thick batter. If the batter is too thin and runny, add more flour. Mix in sesame seeds and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Heat up some vegetable oil in a large pan, scoop batter into pan, about one heaping tablespoon per pancake. Fry pancakes for a few minutes on medium high heat until they are slightly browned. Put them onto a kitchen towel, to get rid of some of the frying oil.

These pancakes can be served hot or cold, either plain or with a dip.

Spicy Soy Sauce Dip

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp dark sesame oil

2 tsp honey or agave syrup

2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar

1 tsp ginger, powdered or fresh

1 garlic glove

1/2 tsp red hot pepper flakes

salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients together and season to taste with salt and pepper.

This week we got a new team-mate! Naturally, we gently convinced him to join our running group, which now has four members, including myself. Isn’t that awesome?! I’d love to say that we’re the fittest team in our company, but we’re probably not.

It was so hot out there today, I think I was sweating more than ever. The heat plus my slightly tired legs made this run really challenging, but I made it through! When the going gets tough, the tough get tougher. Ha!

I had such a lazy weekend. Monday was a public holiday here, so I got an extra day to be lazy. But, I was not too lazy to run!

The Stats:

Distance: 5.3 miles (8,5 km)

Time: 59:25 minutes

Average pace: 11:12 min/mile

Feeling: Strong

This was my first outdoor run with music! And I liked it. A few days ago I downloaded some new songs, mostly by Mumford & Sons and Brian Setzer (weird selection, I know), and they really helped me to achieve a new distance record!

Funniest moment of that run was when I was passed by a man walking his horse. Seriously, he wasn’t riding it, he was running next to it! I have to admit, living in the country has its moments.

I also had a great four mile run on Friday, but guess what, I was too lazy to write about it. Sorry! If you’re interested, you can follow all my workouts on Dailymile.

After my awesome run last Tuesday, I thought that I was over my workout slump, but I’m afraid I’m not. For the rest of the week I was pretty lazy, somehow I just couldn’t motivate myself to do another run. I’d like to blame the rainy weather, but that excuse is getting old. On Saturday I was finally in the mood to workout again, so the Guy and I went for bike ride. 18 hilly miles later, I was tired and sore, but also quite proud of myself.

On Monday I decided it was time to re-start my strength training. I’m not a fan of strength workouts, but I know they are necessary for my overall fitness. Yesterday I could finally find the motivation to go for a run. My legs were not happy with that decision and simply refused to move after about two miles. On good days, I can find the mental strength to push through such a tough run, but yesterday I couldn’t. So I walked home.

The Stats:

Distance: 2.2 miles (3,5km)

Time: 26:00 minutes

Average pace: 11:49 min/mile

Feeling: Sore

When I returned home I was really mad about myself. Why didn’t I push myself some more? Why am I slacking like this? But then the Guy provided some perspective: I did go for a run, I did work out, and I did push myself – well, at least I tried. Not every workout can be great, and some runs are just not meant to be.

Today I will give my legs a break so that they can recover, tomorrow I will focus on enjoying my last Pilates class of the season, and on Friday I will try to run again.